How to Prevent Dental Problems – Straight From Hawaii

My husband and I are on our 25th anniversary trip in Kauai, Hawaii this week. We decided 25 years was something that needed celebrating, and since we didn’t do anything for 20 or 15 or 10 yrs…it was time!

We booked the condo, airline and car, but didn’t have time for much other planning. Wendy, one of my great hygienists, loves to plan trips. She spent the two weeks before we left giving us ideas of where to go, what to do and what to eat. She had great tips, but we both wanted to do a whole lot of nothing on this trip! We landed with not one thing planned or scheduled. That was a big change for us!

Hikes and Drives

The first day we were up early, thanks to jet lag. We decided to tackle a big hike, not realizing quite how big it was. Eight very difficult miles and five hours later we were done – barely limping back to the car! We enjoyed it, but it certainly wasn’t relaxing! We vowed to take it a little more easy the next few days.

The following day was Sunday. We attended church with a tiny congregation on the North end of the island then set out for a drive to see what beauties Kauai had in store. On our drive we found a little Farmer’s Market, and I am a sucker for those. We had to stop. There were some great local products and foods, but the sign across the street caught our attention.

Come on Over

There was a run down home across the street from the market that was capitalizing on their location. The sign said “Mango Bread and Pickled Mangoes – come on over.” Now how do you resist that?? I’ve never had mango bread or pickled mangoes, so of course I needed some.

The house had seen better days, and the yard was full of interesting things. We noticed some big bottles of who-knows-what sitting in the sun, and I felt an instant connection. I always have bottles of who-knows-what sitting around! There was an older gentleman sitting at a folding table in front of the home. He was reading and enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon, waiting for people to “come on over” to see what the “girls” had made this week.

The “girls” (I’m guessing his wife and/or daughters – we didn’t ask) made mango, guava, coconut and banana bread to sell. We bought some of the mango bread and the coconut bread – both looked delicious, and he gave us free guava to try. As we were leaving I asked about the strange bottles. He told us he was making Noni juice in them. Intrigued, I asked if he sold that too.

You Don’t Sell Medicine

He looked at me disapprovingly and scolded, “you don’t sell medicine – medicine is free.” I instantly loved this guy! We asked where he got the Noni fruit, and he said it grows wild in Hawaii. I asked if there were any Noni trees around so I could see what one looked like. He had three trees in his yard, and went over to show us the fruit and what he did with it after it was ripe.

This is not the Tahitian Noni, but a Hawaiian Noni. It looks a bit like a very fat, very light yellow piece of ginger root. When the fruit is ripe, he picks it, then puts it on a screen in his yard to ripen further. He leaves it there for about 10 days until it feels like jelly. Then he puts the fruit in the big jars and leaves it in the sun. The sun pulls the juice out of the fruit, and starts to ferment it. After another 10 days, he strains the fruit out and keeps the juice.

He said is it a natural cure for cancer, and that it’s better than the Tahitian kind because he doesn’t add sugar. He told me medicine that works doesn’t taste good (and I think it’s safe to say this fermented liquid wouldn’t taste very good).

Free Dental Medicine

We thanked him for sharing, and for the delicious bread, and headed back across the road to the car. As we drove around the island, his words continued ringing in my head. “Medicine is free.” I can’t tell you how often I’ve wished dentistry was free as well. There is nothing more fun than just working to improve someone’s health and not worry for a moment about whether they will be able to afford it or not. As I thought about it, I realized the more I learn about Whole-Body Health, the more free medicine I have been giving.

I want you to HEAL your teeth! I want you to PREVENT cavities and gum disease. I want you to NEVER need dental treatment other than preventative visits. There are enough existing dental problems in this world to keep me busy forever – I really want to help you prevent having more.

Today I want to share some REAL things you can do to prevent dental problems:

Lay off the sugar. I know…you’ve never heard this from a dentist before right! But I’m telling you this not just to prevent cavities. Sugar changes your metabolism, digestion, blood chemistry, etc. Eating sugar changes your hormones and makes your mouth and teeth more PRONE to disease. This is literal. The more sugar you consume, the less your body is able to fight disease of any kind.

If you have cavities or are “cavity-prone”, supplement with Vitamin K2, Vitamin D3 and Calcium. Now, you can’t use Calcium without the first two. Let me explain why. Vitamin D3 allows the Calcium to be absorbed from the blood. Vit K2 allows the calcium to be taken into the cells. Without both of these vitamins, you can eat calcium all day and it won’t get into your cells.

Provide your body with the energy it needs to heal. I’ve been learning a lot about energy in cells and in bodies, and I’m realizing we don’t talk about these things. Our bodies are electric (that’s why they “shock” a heart to jump start it). If you don’t have enough energy in your body, you can not heal, and you will get more disease. Get more energy from walking outside barefoot, Vitamin C and fresh fruits and veggies.

In Hawaiian fashion, I want to share this useful information with you, my Ohana. Nothing makes me happier than to visit with you every 6 months and tell you you have NO DISEASE! It means you are doing things that will make ensure your HEALTH. Have a great week!

“I live about 40 miles from Total Care Dental and the drive is worth it. I have been a patient for 4 years now and have been treated with the best customer service any patient could hope for! ”

- Archer

“They take such good care of everyone in the office! Michelle is definitely the best dentist in the valley and her assistants are the most entertaining you will find.”

- Amanda

“I get compliments on my smile on a regular basis and, without exception, I always give credit to the folks at Total Care Dental. Michelle is a great dentist and Jilene always makes me feel like a dental supermodel!”

- Cheryl

*The reviews listed are from actual patients of Total Care Dental. Individual results may vary. Reviews are not claimed to represent results for everyone.